MQM-Pakistan leaders condemn rising street crime in Hyderabad

Robberies and theft resumed few months after former Hyderabad SSP was transferred in July last year

HYDERABAD: With street crime and robberies in Hyderabad showing a resurgence, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - Pakistan has set alarm bells ringing.

The party's Hyderabad chapter, in a statement issued on Monday, condemned Saturday's armed robbery at a shop in Kohsar, Latifabad, while also expressing worry over the rise of crime in the city.

The shopkeeper was critically injured in the incident. On Monday, a shop in the Naseem Nagar area of Qasimabad taluka was looted of around Rs700,000 cash.

"The silence of the police and district administration on this worrying situation is tantamount to making a joke of the people [victims of the crimes]," the party's Hyderabad district organiser and members of the organising committee said in the statement.



The robberies, snatchings and thefts began to resume a few months after former Hyderabad SSP Irfan Baloch, who has been credited for drastically curbing crime in Hyderabad, was transferred in July, 2017.

The incumbent SSP, Peer Muhammad Shah, has seemingly failed to control the crime like his predecessor who, despite the recognition, was known for allegedly staging fake encounters to injure or kill suspected or absconding outlaws.

"Once again, street crime, robberies and dacoities have reared their head in the city, which is deeply concerning," MQM-Pakistan's leaders said.